AN120098 – Butter, Cheese & Other Dairy Products (State) Award

30. DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURE

All grievances, claims or disputes will be dealt with in the following manner so as to ensure the orderly settlement of the matters in question:

30.1 Any grievance or question, dispute or difficulty, which arises, will, where possible, be settled by discussion on the job between the employee(s) and the immediate supervisor.

30.2 The grievance or question, dispute or difficulty must be dealt with as close to its source as possible, with graduated steps for further discussion and resolution at higher level of authority.

30.3 If the matter is not resolved at those levels, it will be further discussed between the affected employee(s) and the employer. Both the employer's industrial representative and the employee's Union representative may be notified.

30.4 If no agreement is reached within a reasonable time period and the Union is involved in the dispute, the Union Secretary or his/her representative will discuss the matter with the employer and/or the employer's nominated industrial relations representative.

30.5 At the conclusion of the discussion, the employer must provide a response to the employee’s grievance, if the matter has not been resolved, including reasons for not implementing the proposed remedy.

30.6 Reasonable time limits must be allowed for discussion at each level of authority.

30.7 Whilst the foregoing procedure is being followed normal work must continue.

30.8 Should the matter still not be resolved within a reasonable time period it may be referred by either party to the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales for settlement.